»»————- song: ————-««
aurora borealis
★ by brandon fiechter ★
♢ ♢ ♢
Harry didn't know what to expect when they arrived in the dungeons, far below the rest of the castle. They had arrived at a bare stretch of stone wall, and she looked around nervously. What were they doing here?
The prefect turned to the rest of the group. "This is the entrance to your common room," she announced. "It requires a password to get in. The password will be posted every fortnight on the notice board inside—if you forget it, it'll be your own fault and you'll have to wait for someone to let you in, so keep that in mind. And you may not share the password with students from any other house or let them into the common room. Got it?"
Everyone nodded.
"Good. Password is 'Draco Dormiens.'"
Draco nudged Harry. "Latin for 'sleeping dragon,'" he whispered, looking smug upon hearing his name. Figures Draco would be fluent in Latin at eleven years of age.
When Harry stepped inside, she was expecting a dingy, damp and unfriendly room. She had overheard the Gryffindors talking about their common room: bright with warm colors of gold and scarlet everywhere, roaring fire, squashy armchairs, cozy and holed up in their own private Tower. She was quite jealous at that; it sounded much more welcoming than a dungeon.
But that didn't stop her mouth from dropping open. This common room was a grand one, nothing short of magnificent. A fire crackled in the hearth, with multiple dignified armchairs waiting nearby. The walls, though gray, were ornately designed, and pillars of stone were engulfed by what Harry assumed to be the ancient-looking roots of trees. They crawled across the wall and disappeared into the floor, and the ceilings were swathed with vines of rich green ivy. This place whispered of age, thrummed with the echoes of ancestors, timeworn by the thousands that had come before.
Two winding staircases off to the sides led up to a second level where bookcases lined the walls alongside large Gothic windows. And above it all, a spectacular dome, casting light that bathed the entire room with a gossamer green glow. Harry didn't usually like green—it made her feel uneasy—but somehow she didn't mind this kind, elegant and ethereal.
Windows? How could there be windows and a dome in a dungeon?
"This common room," the prefect said with her head held high in pride, "Is beneath the lake of Hogwarts. If you look out the windows," she waved her hand, "That is the water. The light that you see comes from a very powerful enchantment—it never goes dark here. You might even see the giant squid swim by sometimes. Or the merpeople," she shrugged offhandedly, "But no one has seen them in over a hundred years."
Although her awe was overwhelming, a shadow of trepidation jabbed at the back of her mind. She quickly ripped her gaze away from the windows. Merpeople? Harry mouthed at Draco do distract herself. Draco just rolled his eyes at Harry's ignorance in return.
The prefect abruptly shut her mouth and snapped to attention. Confused, everyone turned to the direction she was looking.
Melting out of the shadows, out stepped Severus Snape into the green glow of the Slytherin common room.
"Thank you very much, Miss Farley," Snape said smoothly, voice low and formidable. "You may dismiss the rest of the students. I shall take it from here."
Gemma nodded, and stepped out of the way to usher the older students to their rooms.
Snape surveyed the first years with dark, glittering eyes. Harry shivered, wondering if her scar would hurt again when he looked at her. He held her gaze for no more than a fraction of a second before moving on. His eyes were bottomless and black, with none of the friendly mirth that Hagrid had.
"Welcome to Slytherin House," he began.
"I am Professor Snape, your Head of House. I, too, was sorted by the Hat when I arrived here at Hogwarts. Slytherin has a proud and noble history, and you all should be honored with the Hat's decision. You were placed here for a reason—your common values and goals unify you as proud, self-respecting Slytherins."
He paused. "Perhaps some of you have heard the whispers of rumors. That Slytherin is synonymous with evil, and we stand for nothing more. Yet we are much more than that. House loyalty, ambition, cunning where cunning is called for—these are all things I expect from you as your Head of House. And I anticipate that all my students will accomplish great things in life upon their graduation."
Slytherin will help you on your way to greatness, the Hat had said...
"Rule breaking," Snape continued darkly, "Is not tolerated. You answer to me first, and your other teachers second. I and I alone have final say in determining your punishments. Do not be so foolish as to incur my anger."
Harry swallowed. She was right when she guessed this was not a man to provoke.
"All of your teachers will be kept well informed about your comings and goings. Faculty meetings are not for idle conversation, contrary to popular belief—if you have disrespected any teacher, or disrupted any class other than my own, then you may be very certain that I shall hear about it."
"I am your Potions Professor. Potions is no simple subject—an art, if you will, that takes skill and focus, and may easily be the hardest course you undertake here at Hogwarts. While I do not expect mastery from every person here, I do expect diligence and conscientiousness, and I do not tolerate laziness or late work. Whether through natural talent or disciplined effort, does not matter; you all have an aptitude to excel. Your Slytherin ambition will be put to the test starting tomorrow. Prepare to thrive, or prepare to be left behind."
Snape stopped here, and swept his gaze across the first-years. A few shrank into their robes, but most watched him with eyes wide with admiration. Even Harry found herself captivated by Snape's speech. He definitely knew how to light a fire, she thought. Like a spark under a potion cauldron, everyone's eyes burned with motivation, a desire to achieve.
"What is the difference between us and Hufflepuffs?" Snape questioned. "After all, they, too, are hardworking. But your hard work is driven by ambition. Ravenclaws? They acquire knowledge simply to deepen their knowledge. We use knowledge as a means to an end. We attach usefulness to what we learn. Are we brave? Certainly, although with none of the brashness and recklessness of a Gryffindor."
Some snickered at that.
Snape ignored them and continued, "Now, you see that Slytherin is unique, distinctive. I hope each of you decide to endeavor becoming a credit to this House."
His last sentence held a tone of finality. Harry could tell people were restraining themselves from clapping, but of course, no one would dare.
"Miss Farley will escort you to your rooms. I expect to see all of you at the Great Hall prepared and on time. Breakfast is, after all, important. Friday will be your first day of Potions. Do get there on time—you do not want to start this year on an unfortunate note."
Gemma Farley was there at an instant. "Thank you, Professor Snape," she said respectfully. Snape merely inclined his head as the first-years were led away.
Harry's stomach held a pit of anxiety at the thought of leaving Draco.
"Good night," she called over her shoulder at him. He gave her a wave. Snape appeared to be watching the exchange carefully, but it was probably just Harry's imagination.
How could she room with a bunch of girls? And besides that, Millicent Bulstrode did not look like a friendly housemate to have. She could probably break Harry in half like a toothpick. Harry lingered at the end of the line, unwilling to go up the girls' winding staircase that led to the dormitory.
"Up you go," Gemma motioned to Harry. Reluctantly, Harry stepped forward.
She had only taken about four steps before the stairs melted under her feet. Harry's hands shot out to prevent her from face-planting into the smooth surface under her, and she slid all the way back down.
It was such a bizarre thing that it took a moment for Harry to realize what had happened. Dazed, she accepted Gemma's hand as she pulled Harry to her feet.
"What—?"
Gemma had already called Snape over. "Professor—"
"I'll handle this, Miss Farley," Snape said, but from the way he appeared to be holding back a glower, Harry thought he didn't want to handle this at all. He probably wanted to go to sleep too, instead of tending to a student who couldn't even get up the stairs—
A horrible thought occurred to Harry. "S-sir," she stammered. "Have I done something wrong? Do I not have magic after all?"
Snape opened his mouth to reply, but Draco popped up from behind him.
"Harry!" he said, looking worried. "Are you okay?"
"Go back to your dorm," Snape told him sternly.
"But—"
"Now."
Harry thought she heard a quiet "Draco, please," but that couldn't be right—Draco didn't know Snape. Even in the midst of her confusion and panic, a warm feeling suffused Harry. Their argument on the train seemed so long ago. Draco was her friend, no doubt about it.
But if she were sent back, if they had made a mistake and she wasn't supposed to be here after all, she wouldn't have a friend at all.
"Am I going to be sent back?" Harry asked, trying not to sound as fearful as she felt.
"Nothing of the sort," Snape snapped. "Gemma, you may take over your prefect duties. I'll escort..."
"Harry," Harry supplied. "Harry Potter."
Snape shot her a nasty look. "Yes, I do know," he drawled.
"Oh, right," Harry looked down at her feet, embarrassed. "Sorry." She had forgotten everyone seemed to know her here. It felt wrong, like a zoo animal on display. But why did Snape have to be so vindictive about it?
Snape paused. Harry sneaked a look at him. He didn't look... surprised, exactly, but his eyebrows had furrowed the slightest bit. But he smoothly continued:
"I'll escort Potter to Professor McGonagall's office and explain the circumstances."
He spoke as thought determined not to say another word directed to Harry. Miserably, she trudged behind her professor, wondering if this wonderful place was going to be taken away from her just when she had arrived.
a/n: i love the stairs trope, i had to use it lmao
i thought the song really matched the vibe of this chapter. this is kind of how i imagined the slytherin common room to be :) what houses are you guys in? i'm slytherin.